Mobile emergency response system

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments include a the portable medical apparatus that comprises (a) a patient monitor comprising a plurality of wireless biomedical sensors including an electrocardiogram sensor, a non-invasive blood pressure sensor, and a pulse oximetry sensor; and (b) a communications module configured to wirelessly transmit jointly compressed signals. The communication module is configured to transmit signals as a block of coherent data. Additionally, the communication module includes fast-joint coding and decoding, transmission error correction, information exchange between different layers to optimize network throughput, and adapts the Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees for each type of traffic offered.

1 . A portable medical apparatus comprising:
 (a) a patient monitor comprising a plurality of wireless biomedical sensors including an electrocardiogram sensor, a non-invasive blood pressure sensor, and a pulse oximetry sensor; and   (b) a communications module configured to wirelessly transmit jointly compressed signals.   
     
     
         2 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said communications module is configured to transmit signals as a block of coherent data. 
     
     
         3 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said communications module includes fast-joint coding and decoding of said signals. 
     
     
         4 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said communications module includes transmission error correction. 
     
     
         5 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said communications module is configured to enable information exchange between different layers to optimize network throughput. 
     
     
         6 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said communications module adapts the Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees for each type of traffic offered. 
     
     
         7 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein each layer in said communications module obtains information features about channel conditions during transmission and said layer processes are adapted to said channel conditions during transmission. 
     
     
         8 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said communications module employs cross-layer protocol interactions. 
     
     
         9 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said communications module is not based on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) network design. 
     
     
         10 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said communications module employs Joint Source Channel Coding (JSCC). 
     
     
         11 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said communications module employs a rate controller configured to take feedback from a source coder, a channel coder, and a channel decoder, and allocate an overall rate between said source coder and said channel coder based on real-time performance demands. 
     
     
         12 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said JSCC is modified to use a tandem structure configured to distribute the channel capacity to the source and channel coder. 
     
     
         13 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein said communications module employs hierarchical modulation. 
     
     
         14 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein said communications module employs a cluster progressive source encoder and decoder. 
     
     
         15 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein said communications module includes an encryption module. 
     
     
         16 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said encryption module employs a Chaos Video Encryption Scheme (CVES). 
     
     
         17 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said encryption module includes a controller, a stream sub-cipher, and a block sub-cypher. 
     
     
         18 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein said portable medical apparatus employs a semantic middleware architecture. 
     
     
         19 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein said semantic middleware architecture includes an autonomous middleware that incorporates information from external applications and creates peer-to-peer collaboration relationships. 
     
     
         20 . The portable medical apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said portable medical apparatus includes location-awareness and vertical mobility management, and a handoff algorithm that takes into account both moving-in and moving-out scenarios.